Different
by Dancing-Shiiverse
Summary: Haruka could always hear two voices in his head. He never told anyone, though. In fact, he doesn't plan to do so, and he definitely won't tell Takane. But, when she's forced to live with him, its inevitable that she will find out about Haruka's 'secret'. HaruTaka
1. flattering

**Hello! Welcome! I plan to write this and finish it in four/five chapters. Anyways, enjoy! :)**

**P.S Eh, both Takane and Haruka do not have fathers. (...Please bear with me for this unexplained plot hole. _ )**

* * *

_flatter_

Haruka Kokonose wasn't normal.

No, he was definitely not a vampire, or anything supernatural, neither did he have any special abilities. He was, infact, different in terms of one's health.

Again, Haruka could run, jog, walk or jump perfectly. Heck, he could even try to do a split if he wanted to. (Though, he wasn't sure if he was _that_ flexible.)

What made Haruka different was… Well, to begin with, Haruka had always heard two voices in his head. One was soft and calming.

Innocent.

The other voice? It sounded like the first voice, just more rough. The second voice definitely was something that Haruka would not dub as 'innocent', seeing as it would mercilessly taunt him and laugh at his failures.

…In other words, the two voices were something like the 'Angel' and 'Demon' situation in fictional shows.

At first, Haruka tried to ignore the two voices; he told himself that he just had an over-active imagination. But the darker voice had simply snorted, while the other voice stayed quiet.

**_[You really think we're just your imagination?]_**

_'Y-Yes!'_

**_[Fool.]_**

Though, Haruka never told anyone. He didn't want to trouble others, burden them with his own problems.

As he grew older, the two voices remained. They didn't really cause any trouble for Haruka, they were just.. There. Then, he blacked out one day.

When he woke up, he found himself in a different position. He was, strangely enough, eating.

[**_Idiot. You got to take control and that's all you do?]_**

[_I just wanted to eat.]_

'_Take control…?'_

**_[Look who's back.]_**

**'**_What are you talking about?'_

_ [__**Oh, we were just talking about taking control of you. Nothing to worry about.] **_ The gleefulness that was in the voice's tone was obvious.

'_W-What!?'_

The voice chuckled.

[**_I told you, there's nothing to worry about.]_**

[_Har-]_

_[_**Oh, shut the hell up.]**

_Silence._

This was the first time that something strange like that ever happened. Haruka was obviously worried by how the voices (more like one voice) had spoken about 'taking control', but 'taking control' didn't happen anymore. Until Haruka was 16.

It was swift. When Haruka regained consciousness, he found himself gripping a kitchen knife, when moments before he was only sketching in his notebook. The voice taunted him again, telling him how it would be so easy to kill his loved ones, how easy it would be to just end his own life with his body movements which weren't his to control.

Haruka was scared. He was terrified that one day, he would wake up to a bloody mess, but it never happened. Either the voice was only bidding its time until it did kill someone, or maybe it just wanted to see Haruka stressed and frightened.

Nonetheless, life continued on.

Somehow, as the years passed, Haruka managed to get the two voices to be his 'friends'. The 'devil' voice wasn't as hostile as before, and less insults directed at Haruka were made, while the other voice talked more. The gentle voice somewhat reminded Haruka of himself, though the voice seemed to be more air-headed at times. He found the voice's curiosity cute, though, and he would always try his best to answer its questions.

This didn't mean that the black-outs stopped, though. The black-outs weren't common, they only happened occasionally. It was a good thing that the darker voice was rarely in control.

Haruka had no idea how he had gotten used to the idea of being 'knocked out' and having his body taken over by one of the voices.

* * *

Haruka knew that he would be locked up in an asylum if anyone found out about him conversing with two voices in his head. With the black-outs, it was pretty miraculous that no one noticed. Even his own mother. His mother wasn't a bad person, she was a kind, gentle person who was friends with Takane's mother. (They were once co-workers) Takane was also, coincidentally, Haruka's friend. It was just pure luck that his mother didn't notice.

He hid his so-called 'illness' from his family and friends, and so far, no black-outs occurred whenever they were around him. He knew that his luck would run out soon, but for now, he chose to focus on the present and continue to keep a smile spread across his face.

* * *

Another thing was, Haruka thought that the two voices had no names. At least, he had never dared to ask them. They were just voices after all – which was what he thought before the first black-out happened. Surprisingly, asking the two for their names was easier than Haruka thought it would be.

**_[Our names..?]_**

It was quiet for a few moments, before the gentle voice spoke.

[_I'm Konoha.]_

[**_Kuroha.]_**

Honestly, Haruka never expected the two voices to have names.

He was curious, and seeing as the two voices had names and a mind of their own, could they have their own bodies, too? The answer was, yes. Indeed, the two voices, Konoha and Kuroha, had their own respective bodies. Haruka had picked up his pencil and started to draw, following the voice's descriptions. To his amazement, his drawing turned out well (although he was only following the barest of descriptions given by Konoha and Kuroha) and he could actually visualize how the two voices looked like.

* * *

When Haruka's mother (along with Takane's) had to go overseas to settle some matters for a few weeks, both moms had somehow decided that it was a good idea to have Haruka and Takane live together for the duration in which they were gone.

So when Haruka opened the door and was met with the sight of a very flustered Takane standing there, holding a luggage, he was bewildered. His mom had never told him that Takane would be living with him, after all.

"…J-Just let me in.."

And Haruka unlocked the door.


	2. affinity

**Oh gosh, thanks for all of the support so far. 3 (Not sure if I can keep up to you lovely people's standards...)**

**Here's the next chapter! (The next chapter will be much more interesting, with stuff happening. For now, it's just... Eh, I don't wanna spoil anything.)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_affinity_

"Huh? Your Mom didn't tell you?"

Takane had quietly walked (rushed) into Haruka's house, and stood awkwardly in the living room. She wasn't thrilled at the fact that she had to be the one to explain to Haruka why she was in his house. More importantly, she was not amused that if word ever got out to Ayano that she and Haruka were living together, without a doubt, Ayano would (lightly) tease her about it, and that was something Takane wanted to avoid.

"She only told me that she was going out of the country for a few weeks… I didn't know that you were going to live here." Haruka's face then brightened as a thought popped into his head. "But I don't mind! Having you here really makes me happy! I wonder if we could somehow get Ayano and Shintaro to also live here, too…" He trailed off, looking at Takane with a curious expression.

_Oh god, Haruka stop that.. "_W-What are you talking about? No way is Ayano and Shintaro going to stay here, and I honestly doubt that the NEET would even agree to staying with us." Takane huffed, a light blush tinting her cheeks. Really, what was Haruka thinking? Still, as Takane continued to look at Haruka, she could feel her blush deepening. _I thought I was over this..!_

Said male was smiling from ear to ear, though, oblivious to the blush that was gradually forming on Takane's face.

**_[Interesting.]_**

'_Kuroha..?'_

**_[…Nothing.]_**

Haruka left it at that. The dark-haired male confused him sometimes. If he wasn't mocking Haruka, or sadistically laughing at him, then he would be muttering one-worded phrases. …Though, that was only the short summary of what Kuroha usually did.

[_Haruka… Where is Takane going to stay..?] _Konoha. Haruka was relieved that he had decided to speak.

'_There's an extra empty room, Konoha. Takane would prefer to stay there than the living room, don't you think?'_

"So… Uh, where will I stay? I don't suppose you have an empty room for me or anything? I mean, you didn't even know that I was going to come over."

"There's an empty room, so I think that's where you will be staying. Follow me, Takane!"

"R-Right." Leading her to the room, which was right next to his, Haruka opened the door. The room was… Furnished, to say the least. A drawer was beside a small bed that was in the middle of the room. Right next to the drawer was a large brown closet. There was also a mirror that hung on the wall, along with a desk (which had a chair right infront of it) that was right next to said mirror. Takane walked in, and sat down on the bed. She placed her luggage near the foot of the bed as she looked around, observing her new room. "A-Ah, I will leave you here for a bit, Takane. I will be out in the living room!" Haruka chirped, walking out and closing the door.

He sighed.

He was glad to have Takane as his 'roommate', but with Konoha and Kuroha, he was afraid that his friendship with her would soon promptly come to an end. Shaking his head, Haruka forced himself to smile.

No, he wasn't going to keep thinking about _that_.

**_[You sure about that?]_**

Kuroha.

'_N-Not again…'_

**_[Do I need to remind you that I can end your precious friend's life just as easily as I can end yours?] _**Kuroha's voice was eerily innocent as he spoke. There were no trace of malice in his tone, nor was there any sardonic delight that Haruka could visibly hear. It was just completely and utterly innocent. His words did not match the innocuous way he had spoken, and that was what made Haruka worried.

Was Kuroha anticipating something?

**_[Speechless? Ah, I'm just full of surprises, isn't that right, Ha-ru-ka?] _**

Then, Haruka felt a searing pain which sliced its way through his head. A small gasp escaped from Haruka's lips as he forcefully shut his eyes. "Urgk..!"

**_[Opps. Didn't mean to do that. Perhaps I revealed too much?]_**

Burning bile forced itself up Haruka's throat as he tried to restrain himself from throwing up. Was this the reason for Kuroha's fake tone a few moments ago?

**_[Mhm. You're lucky that this pain you feel can't happen every time I want it to happen.]_**

'_What did you do!?'_

**_[Magic.] _**Kuroha snickered, the sadistic tone back in his voice.

Haruka weakly sat on the couch as he waited for the pain to pass. What the hell did Kuroha do? Could he do anymore things like these? Were there still more secrets that Kuroha hid? Furthermore, was Konoha also hiding what he and Kuroha could do? Haruka had so many questions. Though, a question was persistently shoving those other questions away.

Why was Kuroha acting up now?

_[Stop.]_

**_[Oh, so you're finally speaking now? Pathetic.]_**

[_…Just stop.]_

Kuroha didn't answer. The pain immediately subsidized.

_[I'm sorry, Haruka..]_

Haruka didn't reply.

"Haruka?" A voice rang out. Haruka looked up. "I'm here, Takane." She took a seat next to Haruka, not noticing his weak state. "What a weird twist of events, huh? Now I'm living with you.. It's like this whole thing was planned out or something. What's next, does a villain appear or something?" She dryly commented, her tone turning sarcastic near the end.

Haruka couldn't help but smile a little at her words. He felt better already. "Maybe.. Then, we could be superheroes!" He jokingly replied, his eyes once again shining with childish delight. Surprisingly, Takane smiled back. "Yeah.. I guess." She murmured, before looking away.

'_A villain..'_

**_[Yes?]_**

Kuroha's taunting voice came back.

"Imagine, if the villain was you. That would be kinda weird, wouldn't it?" Takane continued, still looking away from Haruka.

"Eh? I don't think I would make a good villain…"

**_[If only the girl knew…]_**

"I agree. You're way too cute to be on-" Takane covered her mouth.

"Hehe, t-thank you, Takane.." Haruka perked up, his smile growing bigger.

"I-I didn'- No. I d-did- Haruk- Ah, look at t-the time, i-its going to be s-seven soon! Haruka, do you cook?"

* * *

Takane had ignored what happened. How could she have slipped up that easily? _'Haruka is cute' _was only a thought. Nothing more. Still, the words just tumbled out of her mouth. She had no idea that her next sentence was about 'cute haruka'.

_Damnit, Haruka.. _She sighed, leaning into the couch. Haruka was too cute for his own good. It was making Takane go crazy! Every thing that he did, it made her heart beat faster. She knew that she was infatuated with him, and that she should just confess to him, but really, there was no way Takane would ever do that. She snorted mentally at the thought of her acting all cliché and admitting her feelings to the male. As if she would ever do that. Nope. No way. Besides, it wasn't like she expected Haruka to return her feelings. That boy was too busy with his own matters.

"I've finished cooking, Takane!" Haruka shouted from the kitchen. Takane stood up, and casually walked. Takane could see plates of food on the table, along with two bowls of rice placed neatly on the opposite ends. "A-Ah, isn't this a little too much?"

_If all these food is inedible… "_Not really," Haruka replied, taking a seat. "Come on, Takane! Let's dig in!" He said in a sing-song voice. Takane sat down, and started to pick up her chopsticks. Haruka smiled at her as he dug in, munching on food. Takane gulped. She wasn't sure if Haruka could _really_ cook. The boy had always happily ate anything, after all. Picking up a piece of meat, she ate it. _…Decent. _Haruka's cooking wasn't really what one would call gourmet, but it wasn't that terrible, either.

* * *

"It's already so late… The day goes by so fast.." Takane mumbled, looking out of the window. The stars shone brightly, and it reminded Takane of Christmas lights – just without the different colours. Haruka nodded, not really knowing what to say. "I'm sorry if today was boring… I-I'm going to make sure that tomorrow will be a better day." Haruka said, sounding worried. "What are you talking about, idiot? Today wasn't boring at all. I.. I have to admit.." She reluctantly said, feeling another blush slowly starting to form on her cheeks. It had only been a day with him, and she's already starting to blush like a maniac. At this rate, she might as well call herself a tomato.

"Today was kinda fun with you around…"

"I feel the same too, Takane.." Haruka quietly murmured. Takane's face was beet red as she heard Haruka's soft whisper. "I-I'm just going to prepare and go to sleep now…" She quietly replied. "Good night, Takane!"

"Good night, Haruka." She said, and walked to her room, leaving Haruka alone. '_Guess I should also sleep.' _He stood up, and walked.

* * *

As he lied in bed, he stared up at the ceiling. A small, growing feeling of uneasiness clawed at his heart as thoughts raced through his mind.

The black-outs didn't happen today. Happiness. Relief.

Kuroha suddenly acted up. Afraid. Worry**. ****_Anger_**_._

He spent time with Takane. Happiness. Gratefulness. _Love?_

Kuroha caused him to recoil in pain. Anxious. Frightened. _Scared._

Rolling to the side, Haruka snuggled into his pillow. He wanted nothing more but to sleep. Why was he so uneasy? There was something that bugged him.

…Oh.

As if on cue, Konoha spoke, his gentle and soothing voice calming Haruka down; the feeling of uneasiness dying down as Konoha's words echoed in his mind.

_[Good night, Haruka…]_

…

'_Good night to you too, Kono.'_


	3. calculate

_** :D**_

_**Just a friendly update.**_

_**Psst, I've been crammin' knowledge into my head. And sleeping quite late, too. But that's my fault.**_

_**...**_

_**Eh.**_

_**Good news (?) - I've decided that this story will have a total of six chapters. It might change, seeing as I can't seem to stick with a decision for long, but for now, six chapters it is.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

_calculate_

**_It hurt._**

_He saw nothing but the thick blanket of darkness that endlessly filled his vision, but oh god, it hurt._

_Where was he?_

_Light. Bright light shone at the other end of the darkness, drawing his attention to it. _

_He ran, despite the aching and sharp throbs of pain that viciously attacked him. He panted for breath as he dragged his fragile body towards the small shimmer of light (escape?). Instinctively throwing out his hand, the light enveloped him and the pain immediately subsidized. _

_When the flash of light soon disappeared from his vision, he surveyed his surroundings. It appeared that he was in a grey room. Taking a few steps forward, he was puzzled. Where was this place? Searching his mind for answers, he could only remember the burning sensation from before. _

_"Run." _

_The sudden cold voice startled him, making him flinch. Turning around, he was met with the sight of a familiar friend. _

_"Shintaro..?" _

_"Run." The NEET repeated, his eyes staring soullessly at the confused male. _

_"Why?" _

_"Ah, sorry. I-I have no time to explain! P-Please just do what Shintaro says…" He turned around again. He faced the red-scarfed girl who had suddenly appeared._

_ "What's going on?"_

_ "…Sorry." That voice. It.. It was... He spun his body around again. (he was starting to feel dizzy) "Konoha?" The white-haired male nodded, before pointing to a door. "I'm.. Sorry…" Konoha mumbled once again, his voice softer. _

_Shintaro and Ayano were quiet. _

_Guessing that he had to go through the door, he glanced at his friends, before gulping audibly and stepping through the door. Maybe his curiosity would be piqued. (he was scared, but what more could one do when they found themselves in situation like this? There was no escape, and he didn't know how to 'run away' from this place at all)_

_ A overwhelming feeling of dread coursed through his body as he tensed up. His mind was unnaturally foggy and his found himself unable to think. The more time he spent in this place, he guessed, the more perplexed and baffled he got. The room the door led to was merely a narrow hallway. Shapes painted the walls, moving in seemingly random directions. He walked at a steady place, a little anxious. _

_His eyes stared at the various passing shapes, hoping to maybe find something that would tell him where he was. Though by the time he reached the other room at the end of the hall, his efforts were fruitless; there was no hidden information to be found._

_Opening the wooden door that waited for him on the far end of the walkway, a gasp escaped from his throat. The room was painted with red and he could very visibly see both Shintaro and Ayano lying on the floor in the middle of the room, unmoving. A malicious figure stood next to them. "Oh. You're already here. Well then, I might as well greet you, right?" The figure spoke. _

_The now terrified male's eyes looked away from the two bodies. He could only catch a small glimpse of the smirk resting on the figure's non-existent (it might as well not exist if he couldn't see it) face as darkness immediately coloured his vision, the other's (was it…?) taunting words echoing in his ears. _

_(oh god it must be-)_

"_Nice to meet you, Haruka."_

* * *

Haruka's eyes were glazed over.

Humming a soft tune as he lied on his bed, his finger absentmindedly tapped (or poked) the soft fabric of his bed. He honestly felt like lying in bed all day, despite the eager part of him which was more than ready to spend more time with Takane. He glanced over to the slim figure of the phone which was cautiously placed on the small table beside his bed. Tapping a button, the phone's screen illuminated. Four faces - the _Yuukei Quartet _their classmates had called them– appeared behind the screen. A small smile crept up on Haruka's face.

Oh right, the time. _8:14_

It was still pretty early. Sitting up on his bed, he lightly stretched, stifling a yawn. Was Takane up yet? Deciding to go see her, Haruka got to his feet and walked nimbly out of his room, stopping before a wooden door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Muffled noises came from the other side of the door. Haruka could hear heavy footsteps, and… was that a bang? More strange sounds erupted from the room, but nonetheless Haruka waited patiently, his lips still curled up in a smile. The door opened, and Takane, in all her irritated bed-head glory, stood there, her eyes narrowed. "What?" She simply questioned Haruka, her voice starkly hostile. "Good morning!" He chirped back in response, his smile growing wider. Behind Takane, he could see items strewn all over the place. Hm, perhaps that was the reason for the sudden and seemingly random noises a few moments ago?

"…It's only eight something and you're already waking me up. Do you see the problem here?" Takane proceeded to say, unamused.

Haruka tilted his head. "Aaahh, so you're not a morning-type of person, are you?"

In response to Haruka's question, Takane's eye twitched. "…Just leave me alone. I'll come out when I've finished sleeping." With that, she shut the door loudly, leaving Haruka standing awkwardly in the hallway. His smile became smaller as he silently laughed to himself. This was _indeed_ the Takane who he loved spending time with.

_[Good morning, Haruka..]_

The familiar voice of Konoha rang in his head gently. Haruka's mood immediately brightened.

_'Morning!'_

After getting himself all cleaned up and ready for the day, he walked into the kitchen, deciding to cook breakfast for both him and Takane. '_Hey, what do you think Takane would like to eat?' _

_[Negima..?]_

'_Any other suggestions?'_

_[…Pancakes?]_

* * *

Despite the large amount of pancakes that Haruka had cooked, he ended up leaving only three for Takane.

_[I wish I could eat…]_

Haruka had no idea how to respond to Konoha. What could he say? '_Oh, it's okay, you can just take over my body like the countless previous times and eat these delicious pancakes!' _was definitely not an option. In fact, he wasn't _sure_ if it would even be Konoha who got the chance to 'take over'.

After eating, he settled down in the living room, holding his sketchbook. He subconsciously tapped the pencil to his chin for a bit as he sat there, spacing out to think about what to draw.

**_[..What about Takane?]_**

The voice startled Haruka. He instinctively glanced up, expecting to see a dark figure looming over him, but he was only met with the sight of the ceiling.

'_Takane..?'_

**_[Yes. The girl.]_**

Oh, so this was one of _those times._ Like yesterday. Kuroha was acting innocent- No, Haruka couldn't tell what Kuroha was feeling at all. His tone was.. Covered? It seemed so.

…If 'covered' made any sense.

It was more of a 'nothing' tone. Haruka couldn't quite place his finger on it.

'_I-I guess I could draw her…'_

Haruka expectantly waited for Kuroha to sardonically remark about the stutter in his voice (thought?), but it never came. A small feeling of uneasiness slowly bubbled in his stomach.

As a result of that small discomfort, he once again waited for Kuroha to comment about it – after all, he had always seemed to know when Haruka felt uncomfortable, but the only thing he could hear in his mind, other than his own thoughts, was silence. Dead, unbearable (for some reason), silence.

He shook his head, taking a deep breath as he picked up his pencil and opened his sketchbook. He placed the tip of the pencil to the paper as he began to draw. The negative feeling hindered his drawing process at first, but after a few more strokes (and some erasing), he was completely immersed.

He started with Takane's hair. To him, her hair was something that was memorable, after all. It was special. _Unique._

Next were her sharp eyes. Haruka had glanced into those eyes of hers far more times than he should have, but really, he just couldn't help himself. Those eyes were.. Well, to put it in a simple term, amazing. There was just something about them that fascinated Haruka.

His thoughts rambled on and on in his head with positive comments about each specific part of Takane he was drawing. Those thoughts certainly would make any girl blush at the seemingly endless waves compliments that he strung elegantly together.

…

Ever since he could pencil in different pictures on a piece of paper, Haruka was grateful that Konoha and Kuroha always left him alone when he did so.

And now, with him drawing away, he was very appreciative that neither of the two made any remarks about his thoughts.

* * *

Suddenly waking up didn't seem like a good idea at all.

She remembered clearly what she had said to Haruka when she was forcefully awakened. She remembered slamming the door and saying something about how she would come up when she woke up, but to be honest, the moment she closed the door was the moment when she (mentally) woke up and realized just what she had just done.

_Oh shiit. _

Takane flopped down onto the bed, face-first. Shutting her eyes tight, she lay there until she was out of breath. Roughly turning around so that she could get the precious gas that was oxygen into her lungs, a sigh escaped her lips.

Takane sat up on the bed, her shoulders slumped. She stood up, planning to go out and apologize to the poor black-haired male she had yelled at, but her hand froze just as she was about to turn the doorknob.

_On second thought, perhaps I should just stay in here for a little while. _

When Takane turned around, she finally noticed the dozens of items cluttering the room's floor. How she didn't trip on the mess was a mystery. She bent down, picking up a pencil. Where did that even come from in the first place? A displeased frown made its way onto her face as she shoved the thoughts of Haruka (along with _the _incident) to her mind's mental corner.

This room needed lots of tidying.

* * *

When she was finally done, Takane was more than ready to strangle her past self. "Finally!" She proclaimed, turning the doorknob, her stomach growling the moment she did so. When she walked out and took her first step into the living room, the mouth-watering faint smell of pancakes drifting in the air hit her as hard as a brick (except that the aroma was much softer.)

The second thing that Takane noticed was Haruka quietly sitting down, doing.. whatever he was doing. She walked towards him, and as the distance between her and Haruka decreased, she could see that he was drawing. Inching forwards, her hands holding the back of the couch for support, she peeked at the sketch.

"Is.. Is thaa…." Her mouth suddenly seemed to be dry, her throat hoarse as she tried to speak. Takane's mouth hung open as Haruka turned his head around, almost hitting Takane's fingertips. "A-Ah! You're up! Good morning, Takane!" He quickly uttered in response, a faint red tinting his pale cheeks.

"Haruka, were you d-drawing me just now?"

"Yes…" He replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Could I maybe see the drawing?" She asked, hesitation clear in her voice. "No, not yet… I'll tell you when I've finished the drawing, though!" Another one of Haruka's signature bright smiles appeared on his face. "R-Right. …I-I'm sorry." Takane blurted out. She raised her hand slightly, intending to cover her mouth, but she only managed to awkwardly freeze in that position, her body tense and stiff.

"What're you sorry for, Takane?" The male tilted his head to the side uncounciously.

"Uh- you know, the incident this morning."

"Oh! You don't have to apologize! It's alright!"

Haruka's response was something that she predicted, but just like the previous countless times, it still surprised her. Sometimes she just felt that she didn't really deserve to know such a cheerful male like Haruka. The way she treated Haruka sometimes, to her, was absolutely unacceptable compared to the way he treated her. (Albeit her attitude didn't even come close to Shintaro's when he was younger, but still—)

"You must be hungry. Takane, I've cooked breakfast - it's in the kitchen! Though I'm not sure if you like to eat pancakes..?"

Haruka's voice derailed her train of thought as it crashed abruptly to a stop.

"By the looks of it, you've probably eaten most of what you cooked." Takane said, releasing her grip on the sofa, (since when had she gripped it that hard?) walking to the kitchen.

"But t-thank you anyway."

**_ [Perfect.] _**_..._

Before Haruka even got the chance to comprehend Kuroha's (and Takane's) words, a sharp pain that only lasted for a split second shot through his body as he struggled to keep his eyelids open, darkness rapidly engulfing his vision. He slumped down quietly onto the couch, his sketchbook lying crookedly on his lap as it barely wobbled over the edge of the furniture.

_**[Sweet dreams, dear Haruka.] **no_**  
**

…

And his consciousness reluctantly faded away.

_no-_

_...haruka?_

_...haruka..?_

* * *

The living room was silent when Takane had finished her breakfast and made her way to said room, save for the ticking of the round clock that was hung on the wall. She stopped for a moment, noticing Haruka standing up. (_is that his sketchbook on the floor..?) _He turned around, his voice strangely quiet.

"…Takane."


End file.
